G75 Brooklyn Nets Tries for 3-0 Season Series Against Detroit Pistons

Two times the Pistons have lost against the Nets at the Barclay Center this season but can they avoid losing all three games against the Nets by playing at home?

Nets vs Pistons Matchup

The Pistons playoff chance has dimmed after their recent five-game losing streak. The Nets lost a winnable game against the 76ers because they did not shoot well and might have experienced little fatigue that both Coach Atkinson and Jeremy Lin mentioned. Jeremy admitted he did not shoot well and there is no doubt that he would try to bounce back well as he usually does after a bad game.

The Pistons will try to snap their five-game losing streak when they host the Nets on Thursday night. They will also try to salvage the finale of the three-game series after losing at Barclays Center twice.

Detroit seemed to be in good position for a playoff berth before Lopez made his baseline shot on March 21. The Pistons proceeded to go 0-4 on a road trip filled exclusively with Eastern Conference opponents sporting losing records. They returned home to play Miami in a game with major playoff implications and gave away a four-point lead in the final 30.1 seconds.

Instead of moving within a half-game of the Heat for the eighth-best conference record and final playoff berth, the Pistons (34-41) dropped 2 1/2 games back with seven remaining. The Pistons now trail seventh-place Miami and eighth-place Indiana by three games.

“We still didn’t shoot the ball very well, but we didn’t let it bother us. We stayed in there and fought really, really hard,” coach Stan Van Gundy said. “It’s a game we should have won. A couple of different decisions by me and we would have won the game.”

The Nets (16-58) have gone 2-2 since beating the Pistons. They lost at home to Philadelphia 106-101 on Tuesday, shooting 40.4 percent overall and 28.1 percent on 3-point attempts.

“You never know what it is. Is it focus? Is it fatigue, fighting through a little fatigue? But whatever it is, we did not have it,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We did not have the juice from the beginning. It was an uphill battle all game, and we obviously didn’t shoot the ball well.”

Lopez had another strong game, with 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but no other Net had more than 11 points.

“I just felt like we relaxed a little bit after we won three of four, and it’s a valuable lesson for us to be able to learn that this league is tough on any given night,” point guard Jeremy Lin said. “I’ll be the first person to say that I didn’t play nearly close to what I’m capable of, so I have to live with that and just get better for the next one.”

KEY OF THE GAME: The Nets would need to focus on their defense to start the game, especially on the road. Only if they repeat the same focus and effort that they can go back to their winning ways.

Let’s hope and pray JLin will stay healthy and continue to lead the Nets to win more games!